Module Identifier | BS32720 | ||
Module Title | POPULATION AND COMMUNITY ECOLOGY | ||
Academic Year | 2002/2003 | ||
Co-ordinator | Dr Robert J Wootton | ||
Semester | Semester 1 | ||
Other staff | Dr John H R Gee, Dr Simon S Creasey | ||
Pre-Requisite | BS22720 | ||
Course delivery | Lecture | 30 Hours | |
Practical | 5 Hours 6 x 3 hours | ||
Assessment | Semester Exam | 3 Hours One 3-hour theory paper | 70% |
Semester Assessment | Practical Exercise: Continuous assessment of practicals Submitted in 6th week of semester | 30% | |
Supplementary Assessment | 3 Hours One 3-hour theory paper (plus resubmission of failed courswork or an alternative) |
The population ecology component covers the following topics: estimation of population abundance, the construction and use of life tables, the concept of density dependence, life history theory, and population growth models emphasising the logistic model. The population dynamics of species with overlapping and non-overlapping generations are compared. The behavioural ecology of foraging, predation and social behaviour is discussed in relation to the consequences for population abundance.
The use of genetic markers to define populations and to follow the dynamics of change in the genetic structure of populations is described.
The community ecology components discusses two-species models for predator-prey and competitive interactions, species diversity, food webs, and island biogeography. The relevance of community ecology for conservation is considered.